Category Archives: gadgets

Ben Krasnow, a mechanical and electrical engineer at Valve, has invented a cookie batter making machine to help him discover the perfect cookie recipe. The machine consists of a carousel where each station dispenses a specific ingredient for a single cookie. Using custom made software, Ben is able to tell the machine how much to dispense for each ingredient, which allows him to test up to 30 different cookie recipe in a single afternoon. I wonder if he’s hiring a tester? Count me in!

The HiRise dock, from Twelve South, is one elegant looking ‘pedestool’ for the Thunderbolt-equipped iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, iPad Mini, iPod Touch (5th generation), and iPod Nano (7th generation). Its name, “HiRise”, comes from the fact that the dock features a height adjustable Thunderbolt connector to accommodate virtually any case you may have on your iDevice. The best part is that the dock is specifically designed not to block the speaker. Cool!

If you live in a shady neighborhood, you might want to take a close look at the Yellow Jacket iPhone Case. Notice the little metal prongs at the top? Yup, it’s a stun gun disguised as an iPhone case! With a name like Yellow Jacket (referring to wasps) it is certainly fitting. It can deliver 650,000 volts of stinging electricity, which can drop most people with ease; but with a max output of 1 milliamp it won’t be lethal. Be sure to check your local state laws before you think about buying one.

The myLifter is a winch looking device that’s about the size of an adult fist capable of lifting 50 pounds. The obvious use for the myLifter is in the garage to lift up bikes and storage containers off of the floor. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 so you can download an app to your Apple device to lift or lower objects with the simple push of a button. If you don’t own a smartphone, you can mount an optional remote control to your garage wall which will also let you control the myLifter.

The Projecteo is a cute miniature projector for your Instagram photos. The catch here is that you’ll need to send in 9 of your own Instagram photos you wish to be converted to fit the tiny wheel slide. Basically, they’ll convert your photos into a real deal 35mm Kodak film stock and cut them down to the tiny slide wheel of the Projecteo. You’ll then be able to project your images onto any wall for your enjoyment. Perfect for all those Christmas photos you just took!

What happens when you combine solar panels with origami? The SolarGami, of course! Currently a Kickstarter project, the SolarGami is a portable solar panel that unfolds to harness the sun’s power to charge your mobile devices. Its foldable design allows it to be extremely portable and lightweight making it a perfect addition to your travel/camping gear. When unfolded, it spans to a large-area solar array that is capable of generating up to 25 watts of electricity and storing the excess energy to a removable battery.